It’s a black eye for the Irish Data Protection Commissioner anyway, but that’s the least of it.

I’m not sure anyone truly understands the implications of this for global commerce yet. Major implications for all US multinationals operating in Europe, and even local companies using US-based services – even Gmail.

either we give consent (like the cookie notice) that our data is going to the USA and beyond the control of the EU.

or, the EU gets to roll out massive grantrepreneur programs to create eurogoogle and eurofacebook

You can’t give consent (roughly speaking), because you can’t consent to give away your fundamental right to freedom from blanket surveillance.

Max Schrems has more: europe-v-facebook.org/EN/Com … ponse.html
Reading that, it’s a little troubling how big a decision this is (though unsurprising under European law). Basically you cannot trust any US-based company since they are not permitted, by US law, to admit that they transfer data to the NSA. This includes any non-US company that uses a storage facility in the US or a storage facility operated by a US company (e.g. Amazon, Google, Microsoft clouds).

or a storage facility operated by a US company (e.g. Amazon, Google, Microsoft clouds).

This particular situation is currently the subject of a court case (by Microsoft) and is not decided yet. We can only hope it’ll go the right way…

Right, but that’s a separate issue. That’s one of jurisdiction. Microsoft isn’t allow fight the case about the NSA taking data from Irish datacentres because it is illegal for Microsoft to admit that the NSA can take such data. It is a secret program. The Microsoft case is just about who has jurisdiction over the data location - the US government is claiming jurisdiction to any data held overseas by any corporation that operates in America (it appears). Microsoft is resisting this.

Unfettered access is clearly a bad thing, but, as we see for example with Swiss banking secrecy, relying on national access is also a bad thing, since that sets up data silos that can never be accessed. I don’t think that’s healthy either. So, like with privacy, access needs to be proportionate, I reckon, and above board. If the price of travelling by airplane is that the US government knows about and tracks your movements (it is), you should know that to be the case before you buy a ticket, so you can go by boat instead (they know about that too)… eh, or go and be ripped off in Kerry (it’s a plot by the Kerry tourist board to have their shoddy, overpriced product the only one left where nobody cares to track you).

my company is building another datacentre here at head office rather than in Ireland or elsewhere in E.U. for those who don’t want the US state sponsored spying organisations to get access to it and also another datacenter in US for those US companies which need their data stored within the U.S. borders.
Whatever the laws are, the perception has to be there that your data is secure. Ireland isn’t perceived as a secure location and is loosing business.
Due to the Irish Data Commissioner’s role in the safe harbour E.U. court case no major E.U. company could trust them to keep business critical information safe.

The way I understand it, if MSFT win then they don’t have to give the NSA access to the data held in Europe. I’m not completely up to speed though.

No, it’s the US courts asking for the data in the MSFT case, not the NSA. The NSA already have it

Yes but isn’t that because they currently claim the legal authority to do so for any US corporation. If MSFT win they will no longer have that. They’ll still get the data of course but they’ll have to work for it

This week, a study was released by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania that found a surprising correlation when studying two kinds of maps: those that mapped the county-level frequency of cardiac disease, and those that mapped the emotional state of an area’s Twitter posts.

This week, a study was released by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania that found a surprising correlation when studying two kinds of maps: those that mapped the county-level frequency of cardiac disease, and those that mapped the emotional state of an area’s Twitter posts.

Measures in the Investigatory Powers Bill will place in law a requirement on tech firms and service providers to be able to provide unencrypted communications to the police or spy agencies if requested through a warrant.

The move follows concerns that a growing number of encryption services are now completely inaccessible apart from to the users themselves.

It came as David Cameron, the Prime Minister, pleaded with the public and MPs to back his raft of new surveillance measures.

He said terrorists, paedophiles and criminals must not be allowed a “safe space” online.